Thanks for the post, I actually spent some time looking for annual statistics and didn't find this, or I would have used it.

Now, you are selectively picking information too.

Quote:

Such as, the rate of disability awards has been stabilizing and dropping the last couple of years.

This is true, but when you look at the number of "awards" each year and compare them to the "terminations" each year, you see that there has been a significant NET gain every year since 1998.

For example, in 2011 1,025,003 went on SSDI and 656,902 went off for a net gain of 368,122. However, 2012 was better with the growth somewhat slower. Bottom line - It is growing every year by significant numbers.

I find it interesting that they don't show the total number on SSDI on a annual basis, which would show its growth. Maybe they don't want you do look too closely at these numbers. Just saying............

Now for pueno - If one is truly disabled and CAN'T work (as opposed to won't), then SSDI is a good thing. However, I would make a wild guess and say that the program is being abused. Typical for big government programs where oversight is never as good as it should be. I am against cheating the system, THAT'S my point.

Yes, I selected a positive note in the statistics, because it is. And, was directly in response to your comment that folks utilize disability during a recession. I noted this statistic to, actually, show that your hypothesis had merit. As the recession falls behind, the rate of growth of disability slows.

Here's the issue...we are becoming sicker and older. Health insurance has been too costly for many workers in the lower wage brackets. Disability will continue to increase (both legit and non) as these older, sicker workers struggle to obtain health care (a large reason folks seek disability benefits). This is another symptom of a health care system that has become too expensive for many to afford. The number of folks on disability will continue to expand.

And, the states are reducing their share of the costs, leaving the Federal Government to pick up a larger share.

I am not saying that I agree with the utilization of disability insurance to subsidize poor wages and high cost of medical care. But, I think it is important to consider why this growth occurs (and has for years) and not just blame the numbers on the current administration or a liberal society.

The following site is rich in information (non-spun). You may find it interesting. Of special note to me is how the US compares with other countries in disability benefits.

thanks for the link coboboard. I was quite surprised to see the costs relative to GDP for disability benefits here being so low! Only Mexico,Korea and Canada had lower costs! This seems to indicate that the system is working quite well here, and we do not have a major problem with freeloaders abusing the system. Sure there is some abuse.

Sadly there will always be a few who take unfair advantage. Those who are perfectly capable of working, yet choose not to deserve no respect. Fortunately such loathsome individuals are in the vast minority.

Could we return to topic and keep just a little discipline? Ignore the man in the corner behind the screen--the fact that he has acknowledged that he reads the postings of the "plonked" doesn't change the fact that he is seriously paranoid and narcisistic. He is not capable of having a rational discussion or entertaining an idea that doesn't fit within John Birch Society's belief structure. Ignore him, deny him the attention as a victim that he craves.

OK I'll start, Glaciers around the world are shrinking in the alps,here in the US and even Greenland. Some have pointed out that arctic sea ice increased at a faster rate this year than in previous years. Why could this be if the earth is in fact warming? It is because that warm water freezes faster than cold water. This sounds counter intuitive but is in fact true from what I have been able to determine. I did not believe it myself initially. On a cold day fill two pails of water, one with warm, the other cold, and set them outside to freeze. The warm water freezes fist, provided that the warm water is not near boiling and the cold within a few degrees of freezing. This phenomenom was first noted by Aristotle long ago.

Could we return to topic and keep just a little discipline? Ignore the man in the corner behind the screen--the fact that he has acknowledged that he reads the postings of the "plonked" doesn't change the fact that he is seriously paranoid and narcisistic. He is not capable of having a rational discussion or entertaining an idea that doesn't fit within John Birch Society's belief structure. Ignore him, deny him the attention as a victim that he craves.

Yay, thanks mac, will do, but be careful for what you wish for.
More people are dieing from the cold than the heat, that is what we, as a society, should be focusing on.

Itís the cold, not global warming, that we should be worried about
No one seems upset that in modern Britain, old people are freezing to death as hidden taxes make fuel more expensive

Hmm, NW--now 4 out of 5 people in the United States want something done about global warming. (Seth Borenstein, AP). I remember mrgybe bragging about how effective the lying campaign of the carbon companies has been. Well you can fool some people some of the time. But fools consult web sites to brainwash themselves.

In the meantime, Big oil, with their commitment to public health, pledges to fight EPA's new rules on NOX and sulfur. The people that actually have to try to meet the Clean Air Act support this rule, and the immense health benefits:

Quote:

"We know of no other air pollution control strategy that can achieve such substantial, cost-effective and immediate emission reductions," said Bill Becker, executive director of the National Association of Clean Air Agencies. Becker said the rule would reduce pollution equal to taking 33 million cars off the road.

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